Warehouse-truck-wheel check.



No.- 831,701. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

- G.BOURQUE.

WAREHOUSE TRUCK WHEEL CHECK.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1905.

'W/,TNE88ES.-

E INVENTOR WSW, 9 3 w I v 5 g CYRILLE BOURQUE, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISHCOLUMBIA, CANADA.

WAREHOUSE-TRUCK-WHEEL CHECK- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed September 22, 1905. Serial No. 279,703.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRILLE BOURQUE, a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, residing at the city of Vancouver, in the Province of BritishColumbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement inWarehouse- Truck-l/Vheel Checks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to a check for twowheeled hand-trucks such as areused in warehouses, and is designed to prevent the truck running backtoward the handler while the load is being lifted from the ground.

In using trucks'of this class the back or lifting bar is run under thearticle to be lifted, an d while one hand steadies the load with theother the truck is used as a lever to lift the load from the ground fortransference as desired, and while this lifting is being performed bythe operator pulling the truck-handles toward him the truck will run onits wheels in response to the pressure so applied. To check thistendency, it is customary to place a foot on the axle as the handles arebeing pulled down, and it is to avoid this necessity and provide a moreeflectual check that the device which is the subject of this applicationhas been invent-ed.

I provide, therefore, a spike-check pivotally mounted on the axle of thetruck, so that it may when desired be thrown into contact with theground, and the spike is so connected that though affording an effectualcheck when the truck is in the upright or lifting po sition when theload is lifted and the handles of the truck are lowered into the haulingor the pushing position the check will automatically spring clear andoffer no hindrance to the movement of the truck.

The particular construction of the device and the manner of itsapplication and use are fully described in the following specificationand illustrated in the drawings which accompany it.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention in use, parts of thetruck being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the lowerend of a'truck, showing the application of the check thereto, thedot-and-d ash lines indicating the check in the release position. on theaxle, parts of the truck being broken away. Fig. 4 is a plan viewshowing a slightly-modified form of attachment.

In the drawings the side frame of the truck Fig. 3 is a plan of thecheck in position is represented by 2, the cross-rails by 3, the endlifting-bar by at, the axles by 5, and the wheels by 6. Secured by meansof bolts on the axle 5, which in trucks of this kind do not rotate, is aclamp 16, having lugs 7, on which is pivotally mounted a spike-check 8,the form of the spike and the position of the clamp on which it ispivoted being such that the point of the spike may be thrown intoengagement with the surface of the floor or ground when the truck is inthe up-ended position to lift its load.

The spike is preferably made with an openended jaw where connected tothe lugs 7 of the clamp, and in the space between the jaws is atension-spring 9, one end of which is connected to the spike between thepivot and the s ike end and the other end to an upward y-projectingmember 10, secured to or forming a part of the clamp member 16. In Fig.l I have shown a modified form of my invention in which the check isattached to a bracket 5 instead of the wheel-axle direct. The line ofpull of this spring is such in relation to the pivot of the spike thatwhen the truck is in the up-ended position, as drawn, the tension of thespring will hold the spikecheck either up, as drawn in dot and (lash, orwhen pushed down with the foot over the extreme reach of its arc willhold it firmly in contact with the ground, in which position it willcheck any tendency to backward move ment of the truck on its wheels whenthe bandles are pulled down to lift a load. As the load is lifted,however, and the handles are lowered into the trucking position thespike will be forced over until the end of the spike lies in the sameplane with the pivot of the check 8 and slightly farther. As soon asthis is done the spring 9 will exert force and draw I the spike into theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, as will be clearly understoodby reference to the drawings.

In use the truckman runs the back or lifting bar 4 under the load andpresses down the spike-check 8 with his foot, when it will spring intocontact with the ground and act as a check. Then on lowering the handlesto pull the load the check automatically springs clear, and the truck isfree to be moved away.

The device is simple and cheap in construction, is not liable toderangement, and can be applied to any truck of this class withoutchange of existing parts, to facilitate which general application theclamp meni- IIO bers are made with a square grip-contact that can beapplied to either a round or square axle.

I do not desire to be confined to the particular details of constructionhere revealed, as it will be obvious that with a slight modification inthe .manner of application the same result may be obtained by acompression instead of a tension spring, or the tensionspring, or, infact, the whole device, may be connected to the frame of the truck, asthe axle not being rotatable is virtually a part of such frame but Iprefer the construction shown as being more readily attachable toexisting trucks or removable therefrom when desired.

Having now particularly described the nature of my invention and themanner ofits operation, I declare that what I claim as new, and desireto be protected in by Letters Patcut, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with awheel-truck including an axle, of a clamp secured to said axle, a spikemember pivotally connected to said clamp, a spring secured to said spikeand said clamp to hold the spike in contact with the ground when thetruck is in an up-ended position and to automatically efiect the releaseof the spike from such contact when the handles are lowered,substantially as shown and described.

2. Adevice of the class described, comprising in combination with awheel-truck, a bracket member, means for clamping said bracket member.to said truck, said bracket member having a heel portion, a spikepivotally secured to said bracket member, a spring secured to said heelmember and said spike to hold the spike in engagement with the ground attimes and to release said spike from such ground-engaging position whenthe handles of the truck are lowered, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. A check for warehouse-trucks, comprising in combination with a clampmember securable to the axle of a truck, said clamp member having abracket portion, a spike pivotally secured to said bracket portion,means cooperatively connected with the clamp and the spike for-holding,the spike in contact with the ground at times and for automaticallyreleasing the spike from the ground when the truck is in a predeterminedposition, substantially as shown and described.

4. A device of the class described, comprising a clamp member clampableto the axle of a wheel-truck, said clamp member having a heel portionand a bifurcated portion, a

spike having a bifurcated end ivota'lly secured to the bifurcatedportion cf the clamp, a spring pivotally secured to the heel of theclamp and to the spike between the bifurcated end of the spike and thebifurcated bracket, substantially as shown and for the purposesdescribed.

5. In a device of the class described; the combination with the axle ofthe truckwheels, of a clamp member in two halves secured bybolts to theaxle, lugs upwardly-projecting from one of the clamp members, a spikemember having an open jaw by which it may be pivotally connected to thelugs, a tension-spring between the jaws of the spike one end of whichspring is secured to the spike Enember and the other end to the clampmem- 6. In a device of the class described; the combination with theaxle of the truckwheels, of a clamp secured to the same by bolts andhaving a square clamping-surface where it embraces the axle,upwardly-projecting lugs on the rearward portion of the upper clampmember, a downwardly-curved spike member having an open jaw wherepivotally connected to the lugs of the clamp member, a tension-springbetween the jaws of the spike member one end of which is connected tothat member and the other to a standard upwardly projecting from theupper clamp member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CYRILLE BOURQUE.

Witnesses: J. A. KENNING,

ROWLAND BRITTA-IN.

